Paul Rose is Guilty.

Full story: 

Paul Rose was registered at birth as Carl Mason born to his mother Teressa Mason, father unknown. His mother abandoned him when he was three years old after suffering domestic violence from Carl’s father. His name was changed to Paul Rose when he was handed over to the authorities and fostered, they decided he needed a fresh new start. 

Paul grew up only knowing the foster parents who neglected him. At eleven years of age after a school teacher took pity on him, alerting the authorities, due to his disheveled appearance and thin frame, he was sent to 'The Farm children’s home'.

The Farm children’s home was for children who had been in trouble with police.  The Farm was seen by the authorities and the surrounding communities as a place where children were rehabilitated, disciplined and turned out into the world with the necessary and required skills to start a life of their own.

Behind closed doors the children were physically, emotionally and sexually abused. Everything was kept quiet and the children were held like prisoners. Many children tried to escape over the years and were severely punished for their efforts.

Paul and some of the other children noticed that kids would simply disappear, no trace, no sign. Their belongings were cleared, their beds stripped down and another child would take their place. The home was rife with rumours and horror stories about kids being taken down to the basement. Paul had always felt that the wardens were taking children away and hurting them but had no proof and no one ever listened. Except for Kelly. Kelly was also resident at the home.

Kelly and Paul became inseparable, friends for life, until one day she too was taken away and mysteriously, never returned.

Kelly had a younger sister, Katie who often came to the Farmhouse to visit in secret and it was Paul who had to furnish her with the bad news, that he didn’t know where Kelly was or where “they” had taken her.

When Paul was released he and Katie stuck together, falling in love, sharing their grief.  They both wanted revenge, and decided after years of addiction, that they must get clean, sort their lives out and get justice for Kelly.

They spoke with solicitors, journalists, police, social workers but their accusations were ignored and brushed under the carpet. They desperately wanted the wardens and the authorities to pay.  They called over and over for an investigation to be made into the missing children but because they had a history of substance abuse no one assisted or listened. 

Finally receiving the news that their claims would not even reach the courts they were incensed, the news pushed them over the edge.

Paul and Katie had had enough, the only way they could see to expose the wardens and authorities was to force them to look for themselves and so they concocted the plan to burn the building to the ground with the hope that some evidence or proof could be found in the basement.

They shared their plan with a friend, Richard Palmer a small time scrap yard owner who also knew of the atrocities that had taken place at the Farmhouse. The plan was that Katie and Paul would set fire to the building, Katie would return home. Paul would head down the street where Richard would be waiting in an old van from the scrap yard. 

Richard would drive Paul into town, drop him off and then he would take the van back to his yard to be crushed.

Things did not go to plan.

Katie bought the turpentine from the local DIY store the day before. 

Katie and Paul broke in to the building, doused the placed with turps, inside and out and set it alight. Katie walked home whilst Paul sat and drank himself into a stupor.  

He watched from the back garden as the building burnt and when he finally felt that the damage was done, headed out. As Paul walked away old gas canisters in a storeroom on the ground floor, exploded one by one. 

Paul panicked and ran. He ran out into the road in front of Richard, Richard shocked and weary, drove away and Paul ran down the lane and headed towards the spot where they had planned for him to be dropped off. 

The fire service and police established the cause of the fire immediately and discovered the bodies of over sixteen children in the basement. 

The investigation in to the bodies in the basement are ongoing.

Are you ready for Case 2?